Tijjani Galadima has emerged from the Adamawa State APC governorship primaries amid a wave of petitions alleging irregularities in the conduct of the exercise.
One of the aggrieved aspirants, Dr. Salihu Bakari Girei, has petitioned the APC national leadership, demanding the dissolution of the governorship primary and the conduct of a fresh election in the state.
Speaking at a press conference in Yola, Dr. Bakari alleged that he was unfairly excluded from the contest despite being cleared by the party’s screening committee.
According to him, he fulfilled all constitutional and party requirements, including the purchase of the N50 million nomination form and submission of relevant documents such as tax clearance certificates and other credentials.
He stated that after successfully undergoing the screening process, he was asked by the committee to “take a bow and go,” indicating that there were no issues with his qualification.
Bakari, however, expressed shock that his name was omitted from the final list of cleared aspirants released ahead of the primary election.
He described the omission as a violation of democratic principles, party guidelines, and provisions of the Electoral Act.
The aspirant argued that while some contestants were officially marked “Not Cleared” by the screening committee, his name was completely absent from the list without any explanation.
According to him, he was neither disqualified nor invited before the appeal committee, making his exclusion procedurally questionable.
Bakari said the development raised serious concerns about transparency and fairness in the conduct of the APC governorship primaries in Adamawa State.
He appealed to the APC National Chairman and the party’s appeal committee to investigate the circumstances surrounding his omission, restore his name among the cleared aspirants, and consider conducting a fresh primary election.
The politician maintained that he remains loyal to the APC and committed to the success of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and all party candidates in the 2027 general elections.
“I worked tirelessly for the party and for the success of President Bola Tinubu, but I was unfairly injured at the last minute,” he said.
Bakari also called on President Tinubu, whom he described as a true democrat, to ensure that justice and fairness prevail in the matter.
He urged his supporters across the 226 wards of Adamawa State to remain calm and law-abiding while awaiting the response of the APC national leadership in the coming days.
